Protests persist in Egypt

Cairo, Egypt (CNN) — As protesters maintained a human chain at Cairo’s Tahrir Square today, many insisting they won’t budge until President Hosni Mubarak steps down, the country’s new Cabinet met for the first time.
The government also shortened the official curfew time, making it from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. — substantially shorter than it was last week, when the curfew began in mid afternoon.
In the two weeks of protests, the curfew has not kept crowds from staying in Tahrir Square through the night.
Signs of life returning to normal were spreading today, particularly with the reopening of more shops and banks. The Egyptian finance minister said the country will auction as much as 15 billion Egyptian pounds (about $2.5 billion) in treasury bills. A stock market representative said the market will reopen Sunday.